Filter unit for pipes



July 15, 1958 J. 1..= BARBARA FILTER UNIT FOR PIPES Filed Sept. 26, 1957A m m., m MW.M L. m w J W United States Patent FILTER UNIT FOR PIPESJack L. Barbara, Port Jervis, N. Y.

Application September 26, 1957, Serial No. 686,443

4 Claims. (Cl. 131-207) apparent that depending upon the particularlymixture of tobacco or the amount the mixture has burned down,V

the smoker may wish to vary the amount of smoke drawn in with each puff.Normally the smoker wishes to make an even draw on the pipe each time.Thus, the smoker oftentimes receives smoke in strength and quantity notdesired by him.

It is therefore the primary object of this invention to provide aVfilter unit for pipes which is provided with an operator which extendsthrough lthe bowl of the pipe, the operator passing through the bore inthe bowl which opens into the stem and having a polygonalcross-sectional portion disposed in that part of thev pipe whereby thebore between the bowl and the stern is constantly cleaned by the use ofthe operator in controlling the position of the filter.

These together with` other objects and advantages which will becomesubsequentlyapparentreside in the details of construction and operationas more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had tothe accompanying drawing forming a part hereof, wherein like numeralsrefer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view through a conventional pipeand shows mounted therein the filter unit which is the subject of thisinvention;

Figure 2 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view taken through thefilter unit, the operator being omitted;

Figure 3 is an enlarged transverse sectional view taken substantiallyupon the plane indicated by the section line 3 3 of Figure 2 and showsthe valve construction of the filter unit;

Figure 4 is an enlarged side elevational view of a portion of the filterunit and shows the details of a body member of the filter unit and thefilter element disposed therein; and

Figure 5 is an enlarged elevational view of the control valve of thefilter unit.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, it will be seen that there isillustrated in Figure 1 a conventional type of smoking pipe which isreferred to in general by the reference numeral 10. The pipe 10 includesa bowl 12 having a bore 14 for receiving tobacco. Formed integral withthe bowl 12 is a stem 16 which has an enlarged bore 1S therethrough.Disposed concentric of the bore 13 and forming an extension thereof is asmall bore 20 which communicates the bore 14 of the bowl 12 with thebore 1S of the stem 16. The bore 20 includes a reduced extension 22which opens through the bowl 12 to the exterior thereof.

Seated in the end of the bore 18 remote from the bowl ICS 12 is areduced end 24 of a bit 26. The bit 26 is provided with an intermediatebore 28 .which opens into the enlarged bore 18.

Carried by the pipe 10 is the filter unit which is the subject of thisinvention, the filter unit being referred to in general by the referencenumeral 30. The filter unit 30 includes an elongated tubular bodyVmember 32 which includes a first end portion 34 and a second end portion36. The end portion 34 is disposed within the bore 28 so that thetubular body member. 32 is carried by the bit 26. The tubular bodymember 32extends into the enlarged bore 18, as is best shown in Figure1.

As best shown in Figures 3 and 4, the second end portion of the tubularbody member 32 is provided with a pair of diainetrically disposedlongitudinally extending slots 33. The slots 38V are relatively wide, asis best illustrated in Figure 3. Disposed within the second portion 36of the tubular body member 32 is a filter element 40. The filter element40 is formed of a roll of screen,

the screen being preferably formed` of a plastic, suchv as nylon.Because of the mesh of the screen and the fact that it is rolled, thefilter element 40 functions effectively as a filter.

The filter unit 4t) also includes a control valve 42. The control valve42 includes an elongated tubular portion 44 which has the right hand endthereof, as viewed in Figure 5, closed by an endiwall 46. The end wall46 is relatively thick and is provided with a polygonal cross sectionalsocket 48 for a reason to be described in more detail hereinafter.

The tubular portion 44 of the control .valve 42 is provided with-a pairof diametrically opposed longitudinally extending slots 50.v Theslots 50are selectively alignable with the slots 38 to control the opening intothe tubular body member 32. Thus by selectively aligning the slots 38and 50, the amount of smoke passing Ninto therfilter unit 30 may becontrolled.

The filter unit 30 ,also includes an operator which is' referred to ingeneral by the reference numeral 52 and is shown in Figure v1. Theoperator 52 .includes an elongated shaft 54 which is snugly receivedV inthe bore ex.- tension 22 and sealed with respectrthereto againstleakageofsmoke and tobacco.V The shaft 54 includes a polygonalcross-sectional portion 56 which is disposed in the bore 20. Thepolygonal cross-sectional portion 56 terminates in an end 5S of across-section to lit in the socket 48 whereby the operator 52 may belocked with the control valve 42 to facilitate rotation thereof. Inorder that the operator 52 may be rotated, there is provided a thumbwheel 6G on the shank 54 externally of the bowl 12. The thumb wheel 60is seated in a socket 62.

By making the shank 54 with a polygonal cross-sectional portion disposedWithin the bore 20, it will be readily apparent that the operator 52will also function as a scraper to continuously clean the bore 20 and toprevent clogging thereof.

Since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to thoseskilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to theexact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly,all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, fallingwithin the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

l. ln combination with a pipe including a bowl, a stem connected to saidbowl and a bit, a filter unit, said stem having an enlarged borecommunicated with the interior of said bowl by a small bore disposedconcentric of said enlarged bore and forming a continuation thereof,said small bore extending through said bowl to the exterior thereof,said bit having a reduced end seated in said enlarged bore, said bitbeing provided with an intermediate bore, said filter unit including atubular body member having first and second end portions, said first endportion being seated in said intermediate bore and said second endportion projecting into said enlarged bore, longitudinally directedslots in the sides of said second end portion, a filter element disposedin said second end portion, a substantially cylindrical control valvetelescoped over said second end portion and closing said second end,said control valve including other elongated slots selectively alignablewith said first mentioned longitudinal slots to vary the size ofopenings into said body member, and an operator extending through saidsmall bore and engaging said control valve for positioning said controlvalve.

2. In combination with a pipe including a bowl, a stem connected to saidbowl and a bit, a filter unit, said stem having an enlarged borecommunicated with the interior of said bowl by a small bore disposedconcentric of said enlarged bore and forming a continuation thereof,said small bore extending through said bowl to the exterior thereof,said bit having a reduced end seated in said enlarged bore, said bitbeing provided with an intermediate bore, said filter unit including atubular body member having first and second end portions, said first endportion being seated in said intermediate bore and said second endportion projecting into said enlarged bore, longitudinally directedslots in the sides of said second end portion, a filter element disposedin said second end portion, a substantially cylindrical control valvetelescoped over said second end portion and closing said second end,said control valve including other elongated slots selectively alignablewith said first mentioned longitudinal slots to vary the size ofopenings into said body member, and an operator extending through saidsmall bore and engaging said control valve for positioning said controlvalve, said filter element being in the form of a roll of screen.

3. In combination with a pipe including a bowl, a stem connected to saidbowl and a bit, a filter unit, said stern having an enlarged borecommunicated with the interior of said bowl by a small bore disposedconcentric of said enlarged bore and forming a continuation thereof,said small bore extending through said bowl to the exterior thereof,said bit having a reduced end seated in said enlarged bore, said bitbeing provided with an intermediate bore, said filter unit including atubular body member having first and second end portions, said first endportion being seated in said intermediate bore and said second endportion projecting into said enlarged bore, longitudinally directedslots in the sides of said second end portion, a filter element disposedin said second end portion, a substantially cylindrical control valvetelescoped over said second end portion and closing said second end,said control valve including other elongated slots selectively alignablewith said first mentioned longitudinal slots to vary the size ofopenings into said body member, and an operator extending through saidsmall bore and engaging said control valve for positioning said controlvalve, said operator having a portion of polygonal crosssection disposedin said small bore adjacent said enlarged bore for cleaning said smallbore.

4. In combination with a pipe including a bowl, a stem connected to saidbowl and a bit, a filter unit, said stem having an enlarged borecommunicated with the interior of said bowl by a small bore disposedconcentric of said enlarged bore and forming a continuation thereof,said small bore extending through said bowl to the exterior thereof,said bit having a reduced end seated in said enlarged bore, said bitbeing provided with an intermediate bore, said filter unit including atubular body member having first and second end portions, said first endportion being seated in said intermediate bore and said second endportion projecting into said enlarged bore, longitudinally directedslots in the sides of said second end portion, a filter element disposedin said second end portion, a substantially cylindrical control valvetelescoped over said second end portion and closing said second end,said'control valve including other elongated slots selectively alignablewith said first mentioned longitudinal slots to vary the size ofopenings into said body member, and an operator extending through saidsmall bore and engaging said control valve for positioning said controlvalve, said operator having a portion of polygonal crosssection disposedin said small bore adjacent said enlarged bore for cleaning said smallbore, said filter element being in the form of a roll of screen. v

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,461,126 Lasure July 10, 1923 FOREIGN PATENTS 690,440 France June 17,1930

